Chapter 7

In Chapter 7, our heroes are worn out from dealing with trolls, goblins, talking wolves, and the like. They stop at the house of Beorn, a man who can change into a bear. Gandalf tells the dwarves to arrive in pairs of two every five minutes, and then he and Bilbo go to the porch. Gandalf tells Beorn the story so far, and the 15 of them stay for a few nights. Beorn gives the party food, weapons, ponies, and advice for traversing the upcoming forest. At the end of the chapter, Gandalf leaves them and takes the ponies back to Beorn.

 I liked the chapter very much, because it was a change in pace from the nonstop action and suspense of the previous chapters. Don't get me wrong, I liked the nonstop action and suspense of Chapters 4-6, but I needed some relief from it. I liked the pastoral charm of Beorn's house, and I was fond of Gandalf's plan to allow our heroes to rest there. There is also some witty banter between Bilbo and Gandalf when Gandalf says that Beorn is a "skin-changer", which Bilbo thinks is another term for "furrier".

Bilbo's stage along the hero's journey is "Tests, Enemies, and Allies". He's overcome tests such as Gollum's riddle game, powerful enemies like the goblins, and now he and the dwarves have a powerful new ally in Beorn. Of course, more tests will be in order as Bilbo and company approach the treasure, and the woods they will soon traverse will be a major trial and tribulation, testing Bilbo and his friends as they approach their goal (although I'm sure Bilbo's goal is to get back home in front of a cozy fire and a whistling kettle).